It took exactly 53-seconds for UFC welterweight Jake ‘The Juggernaut’ Ellenberger to finish opponent Jake Shields Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night 25.
The win, the fifth straight for Ellenberger, and tenth in eleven bouts, certainly moves the young fighter into the upper tiers of the 170 lb division.
During the post-fight interview, Ellenberger praised his coaching staff for pushing him to work hard, all of which paid off with one of the biggest wins of his career.
“One of my biggest wins, I mean, I can’t take away anything Jake Shields has done. He’s been a world champion…a multiple time world champion, and that’s just what I want.”
“Keep working hard. These last eight weeks we’ve been working so hard and not fun at all but it’s all for this night. Like I said, my coaches are there for me all the time, they believe in me. It’s hard to believe. The skies the limit, that’s what they tell me every day. The skies the limit. Keep working hard every day.”
Ellenberger trains alongside UFC middleweight Mark Munoz at his gym, Reign training center in California, and noted that the specific training the two had been working on paid out.
“Tonight really showed. It happened really fast, I hit him in the clinch with some knees. Mark Munoz and I have been working on that, when a guy is in your legs just strike from every position. I knew he was hurt so I went for the finish.”
“I worked my butt off and it proved tonight, helped out tonight big time it’s awesome.”
At the post-fight press conference, Ellenberger made mention of champ Georges St-Pierre and current No. 1 contender Carlos Condit, but it’s likely that ‘The Juggernaught’ will have to score another big win before he’s put into title contention.